High Road Communications

There has been plenty of hand wringing and gnashing of teeth over the recent Facebook redesign. Well, not quite that extreme, but the mixed reaction over the refresh is such a telling statement for how social computing needs to constantly evolve and stay fresh and current with its audience – while retaining the familiar look and feel that attracted the audience in the first place.

First impressions obviously mean a lot, and the new design is one that some haven’t quite warmed to.  But even naysayers would have to admit that facebook pages were becoming a pain to navigate and scroll with all the application clutter that would accumulate. On closer inspection, privacy and security feature functionality have been dramatically ramped up (always a good thing). So has the way you navigate your page, access your favourite applications and test new ones before you fully install them (also good). And for now, you can still revert to the “classic” interface but the new look will soon be the only option available.

The refresh reasoning is clearly around easier navigation, less clutter and an improved user experience. But is it a change for the better? The community response will be the judge of that.

Moving forward, the biggest test for any social computing model often involves retaining (and extending) an audience once the newness and the excitement of it all wears off. Facebook’s aims for a clean, uncluttered site layout is one of the main reasons why so many have signed up. And as with any social network, making the transition to a widely used technology platform is the ultimate goal.